Science news

• Invasive doves colonizing Calgary

  07-01-2017 22:14 via cbc.ca
  
  They first made landfall in North America several years ago on the balmy shores of Florida. And now they have spread, moving up through the continent and settling in the unstable Alberta climate. They're here and they're multiplying.
  
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• Child Swallows E-Cig Liquid After Medication Mix-Up

  07-01-2017 19:44
  
  A 6-year-old girl in Oregon experienced severe nicotine poisoning after her parents accidentally gave her liquid nicotine meant for electronic cigarettes instead of a children's liquid pain reliever, according to a new report of the girl's case. The child survived, but nicotine poisoning can be fatal, and the researchers warned that such cases could become more common as e-cigarettes rise in popularity. "As electronic cigarette use proliferates, children are now increasingly at risk of toxicity
  
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• Mental Health Treatment? There Are Apps for That

  07-01-2017 19:43
  
  Can spending a few minutes on your smartphone each day improve your mental health? In the study, about 100 people were asked to download a group of apps, called "IntelliCare," from Google Play that were designed to help reduce anxiety and depression. After eight weeks of using the apps several times a day, all of the participants reported significant improvements in their mental health, according to the study, published today (Jan. 5) in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
  
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• Cancer Death Rates Fall as Prevention, Treatment Advance

  07-01-2017 19:43
  
  Deaths from cancer in the United States have dropped 25 percent since hitting a peak in 1991, a new report finds. The drop means that 2.1 million fewer people died from cancer between 1991 and 2014 than would have died if cancer death rates had remained at their 1991 level, the researchers said. In the report, the researchers attributed the drop in death rates to reductions in smoking and advances in early detection and treatment.
  
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• Neonicotinoid pesticide affects foraging and social interaction in bumblebees

  07-01-2017 17:35
  Changes in social behavior have been observed in bees with sublethal exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid, report scientists.
  
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• Hubble captures 'shadow play' caused by possible planet

  07-01-2017 17:35
  Astronomers have been surprised to see a huge shadow sweeping across a disk of dust and gas encircling the nearby, young star TW Hydrae. They have a bird's-eye view of the disk, because it is tilted face-on to Earth, and the shadow sweeps around the disk like the hands moving around a clock. But, unlike the hands of a clock, the shadow takes 16 years to make one rotation. Hubble has 18 years' worth of observations of the star; therefore, astronomers could assemble a time-lapse movie of the shado
  
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• Bio-inspired suction cups withstand more than splashes

  07-01-2017 17:35
  To create prototype suction cups that are capable of glomming onto rough, wet surfaces and staying there, a research team has found inspiration in an aptly-named marine creature: the clingfish.
  
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• This Brain Region Keeps Growing in Adulthood

  07-01-2017 14:48
  
  The discovery is surprising to researchers, because brain development from childhood into adulthood was long thought to happen mostly through the pruning of synapses, the connections between neurons. The study also showed that these changes in brain structure correlated with the ability to recognize faces. In general, adults are better at recognizing faces than children are, said study leader Jesse Gomez, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience at Stanford University.
  
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• Zombies Would Wipe Out Humans in Less than 100 Days

  07-01-2017 14:47
  
  The zombie apocalypse won't take long. A new article in a peer-reviewed student journal finds that the zombie hordes would take Earth's population down to a mere 273 survivors in 100 days. The paper, published in the University of Leicester's Journal of Physics Special Topics, was a fanciful use of the so-called SIR model, which is used in epidemiology to simulate how diseases spread over time.
  
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• How Tilikum the Orca Changed the Conversation About Animals in Captivity

  07-01-2017 14:32
  
  Tilikum, the orca at the center of the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," has died at SeaWorld Orlando, the marine park announced Friday (Jan. 6). According to SeaWorld, Tilikum died early in the morning. The cause of death is officially unknown, but the killer whale had been under long-term treatment for a persistent bacterial lung infection.
  
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• ‘Furry Logic’ showcases how animals exploit physics

  07-01-2017 14:00
  
  "Furry Logic" explores how animals rely on the laws of physics in pursuit of food, sex and survival.
  
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• Protecting your privacy online: How to manage what you reveal

  07-01-2017 11:00 via cbc.ca
  
  Even if you only downloaded a handful of apps last year, do you remember what permissions you granted to each? The start of new year is a time to reset — and the perfect time to unlearn all of the bad privacy habits you've picked up.
  
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• Brain protein predicts recovery time following concussion

  07-01-2017 01:20
  Elevated levels of the brain protein tau following concussion are associated with a longer recovery period and may serve as a marker to help physicians determine an athlete's readiness to return to play, report investigators.
  
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• Urbanisation signal detected in evolution, study shows

  07-01-2017 01:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists discover a 'clear signal' of urbanisation in the evolution of organisms around the globe.
  
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• Women's Microbiomes May Give Cancer Warning

  07-01-2017 00:36
  
  A woman's microbiome may signal if cancer is lurking in her body, a small new study suggests. The cancer, called endometrial cancer, is the most common type of gynecological cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. In previous studies, researchers have linked people's microbiomes to other types of cancer, the new study said.
  
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• Unusually loose skin helps hagfish survive shark attacks

  07-01-2017 00:26
  
  Hagfish skin that easily slips and slides can be a lifesaver in crises such as shark attacks.
  
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